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What Are Tarweeds? Whoever came up with the name “tarweed” didn’t do the plant any favors. True, the plants called tarweeds do have a sticky, sometimes black exudate secreted by glands on their leaves, stems and flower buds, and often have a turpentine-like smell. But to liken them to tar seems unfair and uncomplimentary, considering their beauty, captivating aroma and usefulness to the Native Americans and to wildlife. However, there are exceptions, as we shall learn later in this essay. Besides, they didn’t evolve to please us humans, but to fill an important environmental niche, and to guarantee their own survival.

Exudate glands on tarweed

However, tarweed seeds were an important food source for Native Americans. The tarweeds were one of the crops that were burned regularly to increase seed production in the following year. The hills were burned when the seeds were mature but the plants were still green. The toasted tarweed seeds, along with seeds from dozens of other plants, were used to make pinoles, or ground into flour for baking. (Most photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Tarweeds and Terpenes Plants produce a great number of chemicals which are useful to them for numerous physiological and ecological purposes. Some taste bad and discourage herbivores from eating them. Others provide immunity from pathogens such as bacteria and fungi, or resistance to plants competing for the same space. They might also protect the plant from drying out in the summer, and even offer some shielding from ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Others are volatile enough to escape into the air and either attract pollinators, or signal an invitation to insects and birds that feed on organisms which are otherwise intent on devouring the plant. Terpenes are a large and diverse class of chemical compounds that serve these purposes. We are already aware of them in conifers, rosemary, mints, sages, basil, citrus fruits and even marijuana. And in the numerous plants we call the tarweeds. Many of these chemicals have aromas that humans either find attractive (as in the scent of flowers, spices and essential oils) or repulsive (as in the stench of cannabis and stinkwort, a plant which we will encounter later). Some are even thought to have medicinal properties, and help in fighting bacteria, fungus and environmental stress. Vitamin A is a terpene.

Blossoms on Yellowflower Tarweed

Yellowflower Tarweed or NarrowTarplant This tarweed, also called virgate tarweed or pitgland tarweed (Holocarpha virgata) is the featured tarweed at the Granada Native Garden. (A related species, gumplant (Grindelia camporum), also grows at the GNG.) It flowers from May into fall with pretty little yellow aster-like blossoms. The aroma that radiates copiously from its foliage reminded one recent visitor of turpentine, but it makes me think of a barber shop. I’m not sure why. I like to embrace a clump of yellowflower tarweed and come away with its slightly sticky but refreshing scent on my clothing and arms, which usually follows me home. In the Sacramento Valley, yellowflower tarweed thrives in the hard packed soil along roadsides and vacant lots. Whether it is considered a weed or not (a “weed” is something that grows where you want something else to grow), depends on your point of view. Birds and mammals relish the seeds. The pollen is an important food source for bees. On the other hand, it flourishes in fields where livestock graze, and while livestock use the young plants as forage in winter and early spring, it becomes unpalatable as it increases in size and terpene content later in the season.

Grindelia at the GNG

LivermoreTarplant Move over, Livermorium (atomic element number 116, of which only a few atoms have ever been made and which only exists for a few milliseconds at a time anyway). Livermore now has its own tarweed, Deinandra bacigalupii or the Livermore tarplant.
First described as new to science in 1999, the Livermore tarplant only occurs within a half-mile of the City of Livermore in Alameda County. The plant grows in poorly-drained, seasonally-dry alkaline meadows. It is found in three places within 90 acres of the Livermore Valley, places that are subject to frequent disturbance, including road construction, off-road vehicle use, and application of herbicides. These challenges, in addition to encroachment and competition by non-native species, threaten the survival of the plant. The largest area of Livermore tarplant habitat is on property owned by the City of Livermore, and all other Livermore tarplant habitat is on private property. One of the Livermore tarplant populations was almost completely destroyed by the operations of a landscape business in 2014.

Livermore tarplant (photo by Jeb Bjerke)

Two years after Heath Bartosh, Rare Plant Committee Chairman of the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, petitioned the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to list this rare endemic species as endangered, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to grant the Livermore tarplant endangered status. Livermore tarplant was the first plant in nearly a decade to be added to the California Endangered Species list. This means that killing or possessing the plant is prohibited by the California Endangered Species Act.

Stinkwort – The Tarweeds’ Evil Cousin! In 1984, a new tarweed was discovered in Milpitas, California. But unlike the Livermore tarplant, stinkwort (Dittrichia graveolens) is not a native tarweed. It is a Mediterranean native that has found its way here and decided to stay. By 2017, it had spread to 41 of the 58 counties in California. Now it is a common and prolific resident of our state, owing to the high viability rate of its seeds (90%), capable of germinating at any time of the year in neglected landscapes, and its ability to spread by wind, on the fur and feathers of animals, and by motor vehicles and equipment along transportation corridors (because of its sticky seeds). I suspect that, very shortly, it will become the dominant vegetation in places where it has got its start, unless aggressive and continuous measures are taken to eradicate it.

Stinkwort along a roadside

The best means of eradicating stinkwort (if that is ultimately possible) is to pull it up by its roots, preferably by mid-September. This is fairly easy if the plant is only 1-2 feet tall. Larger specimens need to be cut at the base, preferably below ground level. Any plants that have begun to flower should be bagged and discarded, but what happens to them after that is anyone’s guess. Stinkwort’s terpenes are aromatic, similar to those of H. virgata which it resembles in appearance and, to some extent, its not objectionable odor. But if you are tasked with the job of pulling it out in places where it has infested heavily, the name “stinkwort” is appropriate. My introduction to the tarweeds took place a few years ago while spending a morning doing exactly that. Afterward, I had to take a shower and launder my clothing. Its terpenes can, reportedly, cause contact dermatitis, itchy skin or blistering in humans. Besides being generally unpalatable to animals, if it is eaten by livestock, barbed bristles on the seeds can puncture the small intestine wall and cause enteritis. It will make their milk taste bad, too.

Typical stinkwort habitat along the Arroyo Mocho

But stinkwort is a California native tarweed mimic. After 1865, the perennial native grasslands were largely grazed to dust by cattle. This allowed the native tarweeds to flourish. But then the native tarweeds were largely wiped out by herbicides in the 1950s in order to create rangeland for cattle. So when stinkwort arrived in California, it quickly filled in the ecological niche left by the mostly extinct natives, making it a prime example of a highly aggressive non-native species. Stinkwort also contains two phytotoxins, tetrahydroaromaticin and ilicic acid, that inhibit the growth of other plants around it, giving it a competitive advantage over other plants, including natives. It is now being found growing abundantly along the Arroyo Mocho that borders the Granada Native Garden. Eternal vigilance is the price of a stinkwort-free garden!

Quote du jour 1 “Those who know tarweed seem divided into those who love it and those who do not. The Tarweed Appreciation Society is a small tongue-in-cheek group of native plant lovers who have a fondness for tarweed.” – Judith Larner Lowry, in “California Foraging”, p. 123

Quote du jour 2 “In the world of photosynthetic organisms, stinkwort comes about as close to zero as possible for habitat value.” – Barbara M. Leitner, Plant Ecologist

Guided Tours of the Granada Native Garden Are Available! Are you interested in seeing some of the plants that are described in this News- letter or in past issues? One or more staff of the GNG are routinely on duty at the Garden on Mondays and Thursdays, roughly between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. But it isn’t very hard to arrange a guided visit at other times. If you are interested in scheduling a visit, just email Jim at JIMatGNG@gmail.com . Or if you have any questions or inquiries, please email Jim at the same address!

This Index is to help both new and current Followers of the Granada Native Garden Newsletter become acquainted with the Garden and its Newsletter … and to help current Followers locate informational articles from earlier posts and individual topics. To use this Index, scroll down to the topic that interests you. Take note of the month and year when the topic was archived. Then back up to the current Newsletter post and click on the desired month and year in the Archive list. To become a Follower, just find the “Follow” button at the lower right corner of the screen and follow the easy instructions. You will be notified automatically by email whenever a new post is published (usually every one or two months). Welcome to the Granada Native Garden Newsletter! If you have questions or comments, please email Jim at JIMatGNG@gmail.com .

A. INDIVIDUAL PLANT TOPICS: COMMON NAMES Buckeye: Archived in April, 2016. Posted on April 17.Buckwheat: Archived in June, 2013. Posted on June 26.Bush Poppy: Archived in February, 2015. Posted on February 3.California Poppies: Archived in March, 2013. Posted on March 15.California White Oak: Archived in August, 2014. Posted on August 29.Clarkia: Archived in May, 2014. Posted on May 4, 2014.Coyote Brush: Archived in February, 2014. Posted on February 7.Elderberry: Archived in August, 2013. Posted on August 23. Fiddleneck: Archived in February, 2016. Posted on February 7. Grape: Archived in December, 2015. Posted on December 1, 2015. Holly-Leafed Cherry: Archived in October, 2015. Posted on October 11, 2015.Lupine: Archived in April, 2013. Posted on April 29, 2013. Malva Rose:Archived in August, 2017. Posted on August 8, 2017. Matilia Poppy:Archived in May, 2016. Posted on May 30, 2016. Miner’s Lettuce: Archived in January, 2016. Posted on January 17, 2016.Mugwort: Archived in July, 2015. Posted on July 2.Our Lord’s Candle: Archived in May, 2015. Posted on May 29.Purple Needlegrass: Archived in April, 2015. Posted on April 30.Sagebrush: Archived in July, 2015. Posted on July 2.Toyon: Archived in December, 2013. Posted on December 5.Valley oak: Archived in August, 2014. Posted on August 29. Yampah:Archived in July, 2016.Posted on July 14. Yarrow:Archived in March, 2017. Posted on March 5.

It’s a Mallow With apologies to Shakespeare and Gertrude Stein (“A rose is a rose is a rose …”), the malva rosa is not a rose. Not even close. It’s a mallow, a rosy mallow. Also known as island tree mallow, it belongs to the family Malvaceae, of which there are two other representatives at the Granada Native Garden (bush mallow, or Malacothamnus fremontii, and globe mallow, Sphaeralcea ambigua). In the same family are okra, cocao, cotton, hollyhock and hibiscus, as well as the pesty (but reportably edible) non-native cheeseweed (Malva parviflora) which we relentlessly pull out every year all over the Garden.

Malva rosa in February, 2016

Malva rosa (Malva assurgentiflora) used to be named Lavatera assurgentiflora, and it is still often sold under that name. (And in case you are wondering, marshmallows originated when the roots of another member of the mallow family, Althaea officinalis, were boiled with sugar until thick. Now, of course, marshmallows are made from sugar, water and gelatin, and puffed up with air, not anything related to the mallow plant.) (Photos can usually be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Shy But Water-Wise The showy but shy blossoms have the habit of hiding somewhat within the interior of the tree, so that they are not readily seen without a closer look. Their color has been described as red with white stripes, or white with red stripes. (Personally, I tend to prefer “cerise” or “magenta”.)

California Floristic Province (in red)

Like many of the California natives growing in the “California Floristic Province”, malva rosa is native to California but not necessarily to the part of California where we want to grow it. In this case, malva rosa is specifically native to the Channel Islands, a chain of eight islands in the Pacific Ocean along the Santa Barbara Channel, where the climate is moderated by the moist ocean air with high humidity (often between 60%-100%), frequent fog, and unpredict- able but usually abundant rainfall. The Channel Islands are included within the boundaries of the California Floristic Province.

Malva rosa in July, 2016

This means that malva rosa evolved to grow in a less hostile environment than the hot, dry California interior. While this difference makes it difficult to grow some California natives where we might hope to enjoy them, this hasn’t prevented malva rosa from escaping its homeland and thriving in mainland California, as long as the soil has good drainage and it receives some summer water.

At the Granada Native Garden in hot, dry Livermore, malva rosa survives by being “drought deciduous” or “summer deciduous”. This means that, as the weather gets warmer and dryer, it retains only as many leaves as the available water can support, and drops the rest. The poor thing can look to be on death’s doorstep at the end of summer, but only until the winter rains begin, when it bursts into new foliage. And in 2016, we had a good start on the seasonal rainfall in mid-October (see the photos below; they can be enlarged by clicking on them).

Malva rosa in November, 2016!

Malva rosa in September, 2016

Other Fun Facts about MalvaRosa! Malva rosa is a fast grower. Ours was planted in fall, 2012, and now stands about 8 feet tall and about 10 feet wide. It needs vigilant pruning to maintain its shape and size, and keep its interior from getting too crowded. It drops numerous seeds which readily sprout beneath its branches (but we have not yet tried to transplant any of these). The leaves seem to be a popular gathering place for numerous insects of various types, such as spider mites, thrips, lace bugs, psyllids and whiteflies, altho none of these have so far proved to be pests or bothersome. Watershed Nursery reports that malva rosa was used by Native Americans to treat broken bones, sores, swelling and injuries.

Current Attractions at the Granada Native Garden Summer is not the most colorful time of the year at the GNG, but nevertheless there are plenty of attractions to enjoy, colorwise or otherwise. Furthermore, we have been getting better at placing easily readible marker placards in front of many of the plants. So here are some of the attractions that might tempt you to visit before summer ends. Buckwheat is abundant and very much in bloom at this time of the year at the Granada Native Garden. Its white pom pom-like blossoms gradually turn to pink, then to copper, then to chocolate, as the season progresses. Two of the most prominant buckwheats of this description at the GNG are California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and Santa Cruz Island buckwheat (E. arborescens), but not to be missed is red buckwheat (E. grande rubescens) with its showy red blossoms, but they are starting to fade. All of the buckwheats are great butterfly and honeybee plants. For more information about buckwheats, use the Newsletter Index to look up the article about buckwheats published in June 2013.

Buckeye on buckwheat

Three recent arrivals located in the general vicinity of the tables are the bed of red California fuchsia (Epilobium californicum, donated to us by Rob DeBree of Elkhorn Native Nursery), a field of bright yellow California goldenrod (Solidago velutina), and a small but expanding patch of lavender California aster (Symphyotrichum chilense).Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), featured in the March, 2017 issue of the Newsletter, is still in bloom at various locations at the Garden, altho much of it is “over the hill”, but retains its own “brown is a color” personality.

California aster

California goldenrod

Closer to the center of the Garden, you can find bladderpod (Peritoma arborea), with its yellow blossoms and its foliage smelling like sauteed bell peppers and onions. Read about it in the February issue of the Newsletter. Speaking of plant aromas but not currently in color, but looking lush and spilling over the pathway is mugwort (Artemesia douglasiana). Its cousin, sagebrush (Artemesia californica), with its totally different physical appearance but similar distinctive pleasant medicinal aroma, is growing along the path at the other side of the Garden near Murrieta Blvd. Along the Arroyo Mocho bike trail is a large (and growing larger) field of gumplant (Grindelia camporum or G. stricta, we’re not sure, probably both!), with its sticky yellow blossoms and sticky leaves and sticky flower heads. Give them a feel! Finally, yampah (Perideridia sp., aka “Indian potatoes”) is taking over the triangular area formerly monopolized by the elderberry (Sambucus mexicana, featured in the August, 2013 Newsletter. The berries are forming now, but a few weeks ago the blossoms were emitting the unmistakable aroma of cloves as you passed by. The elderberry gets cut down to 5-6 feet every winter, but quickly grows to its full height within the next few months. And if you are looking for a native California grass with a tall, graceful appearance but doesn’t turn dormant during the summer, there is a patch of alkali sacaton (Sporo-bolus airoides) nearby.

Quote du Jour “It is the time you have spent on your rose that makes your rose so important.” – Antoine de St. Exupery (author of “The Little Prince”)

Guided Tours of the Granada Native Garden Are Available! Are you interested in seeing some of the plants that are described in this News- letter or in past issues? One or more staff of the GNG are routinely on duty at the Garden on Mondays and Thursdays, roughly between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. But it isn’t very hard to arrange a guided visit at other times. If you are interested in scheduling a visit, just email Jim at JIMatGNG@gmail.com . Or if you have any questions or inquiries, please email Jim at the same address!

The Plant with a Thousand Leaves Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) acquired its scientific species name because its foliage appears to consist of thousands of tiny leaves: “mille”= thousand, and “folium” pertains to its foliage. In reality, the picture at the right shows 7-8 leaves of yarrow, with a midrib running the length of each leaf. The blade on each side of the midrib is made up of numerous smaller divisions. This leaf adaptation serves the plant in at least two ways. The small divisions in- crease the total surface area exposed to the sun and capable of carrying on photosynthesis. It also allows the leaf to resist the heat of the sun, because smaller parts shed heat more easily. Thus, yarrow is well equipped to thrive during hot, dry California summers. (Most photos can be enlarged simply by clicking on them.)

Chiron instructing Achilles

Myth or Reality? Yarrow has an interesting history, altho its history is based in myth. Achilles was a mytho- logical Greek warrior who fought during the mythological Trojan War. Achilles had been a student of the mythological centaur Chiron, who excelled in many useful skills, including medicine. Chiron introduced Achilles to the medicinal qualities of the yarrow plant, which Achilles subsequently used to treat his own wounds and the wounds of his fellow warriors.

Yarrow grows in many countries, but the native California yarrow comes in two colors – white (Achillea millefolium californica), and a pink variety that is native to the Channel Islands near Ventura (Achillea millefolium rosea). Another variety, frequently found in local nurseries and gardens, happens to be bright yellow, and is not strictly a native to California, but it appears to fit in ecologically, growing in the same environment and attracting the same pollinators as the native varieties. Its varietal name is ‘Moonshine’, and is reported to be a cultivar formed by a cross between the native yarrow (A. millefolium) with Egyptian yarrow (A. aegyptiaca var. taygetea). Its leaves are silvery green, as opposed to the dark green of the California native.

Moonshine

Island pink

Achilles Was On ToSomething! But the medicinal qualities of yarrow are not a myth. One of its most pleasing characteristics is the aroma of the crushed leaves, which seems to be more noticeable on some plants or at different times of the year. The aroma is due to several chemical compounds (achillein, chamazulene and numerous others), and aromatic plants have been used medicinally by all cultures in various parts of the world. In 1960, traces of yarrow along with other medicinal herbs were found in the grave of a Neanderthal man in Iraq, dated about 60,000 years ago. However, one of its more common uses appears to be its ability to treat cuts and sores and to stanch bleeding from wounds. Native Americans used yarrow for this purpose as well as for colds, respiratory problems, pain relief (it contains salicylic acid, the active ingredient in Aspirin), headaches, toothache, fever reduction, an aid to sleep, and joint relief. This newsletter does not attempt to recommend any part or decoction of yarrow for any medicinal application. However, an Internet search will reveal medicinal uses of yarrow for virtually every ailment known to man (including prevention of baldness, which would have been useful to me many years ago), as well as a substitute for hops in the brewing of beer. And, again without promoting any specific uses of yarrow, there appears to be extensive legitimate research into its curative qualities, such as from the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, and the German Commission E and German Standard License (“Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals, A Handbook for Practice on a Scientific Basis”, edited by Max Wichtl, CRC Press). Warning: It should not be used during pregnancy.

Yarrow in a residential setting

Yarrow in Your Garden Whatever variety of yarrow you might choose, yarrow is a good choice for a native garden. It requires little care, aside from clipping off the old flowering stems and dividing the clumps every couple of years to reinvigorate them. It seems indifferent to the amount of water it receives. It propagates itself both by seeds and by underground stems; in other words, it spreads, but not uncontrollably. It blooms mainly from spring into fall, but some individuals at the Granada Native Garden are in bloom even at this time, in February. Yarrow has also been recommended for the stabilization of slopes, and as a lawn substitute because it tolerates light foot traffic and can be mowed. However, I have trouble imagining it as a mow-able lawn because of its clumping nature, and I would love to receive clarification on this issue from our readers!

Further, yarrow attracts many beneficial insects, pollinators, butterflies and hummingbirds. Its foliage provides winter forage for birds. (Thanks to Laura Hanson of The Watershed Nursery for letting us use her photo of the bee gathering pollen from the yarrow.)

Jack St. Thomas Aquinas said that something reaches perfection when it is used for the purpose for which it is intended. Jack is one person who helps the Granada Native Garden reach its perfection. He is an almost daily visitor to the Garden, walking from his residence (almost a 2-mie round trip) to purchase his cup of coffee at a nearby donut shop and work on his Chronicle cross- word puzzle or catch up on his reading at one of the Garden tables. Jack already knows many of the plants there by name, and is obviously one who enjoys being out of doors and values contact with nature in the relatively placid environment of the Garden! May there be more like him in the future!Wildflower Update, Spring 2017 We anticipated that the abundant Fall and Winter rains would produce a display of California native wildflowers rivaling last year’s exceptional show. But it is not to be. The bank of non-native weeds lurking in the ground, mainly oats and crane’s bill, saw their chance and effectively crowded out most of the native wildflowers, which germinate a bit later in the season. In the process of “weeding out” the non-natives, we have tried to rescue some of the native wildflowers and give them a chance to greet visitors to the Garden. This year, visitors will find markers to help you identify the wildflowers by name. If you have children, you might challenge them to visit different parts of the Garden and find other examples of the same flower. Meanwhile, we are working on a strategy that, hopefully, will limit the spread of the non-native weeds in future years.

Guided Tours of the Granada Native Garden Are Available! Are you interested in seeing some of the plants that are described in this News- letter or in past issues? One or more staff of the GNG are routinely on duty at the Garden on Mondays and Thursdays, roughly between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. But it isn’t very hard to arrange a guided visit at other times. If you are interested in scheduling a visit, just email Jim at JIMatGNG@gmail.com . Or if you have any questions or inquiries, please email Jim at the same address!

The unofficial address of the Granada Native Garden is 801 Murrieta Blvd., Livermore, CA 94550 The map above and photos below can be enlarged for better viewing by clicking on them.

If you are a Livermore Resident . . . • The Garden is directly across Murrieta Blvd. from the Nob Hill-RiteAid shopping center. Parking is available in front of RiteAid. The Garden is also directly accessible via the Arroyo Mocho Bike Trail. • See the map above for the safest place to cross Murrieta Blvd. and walk to the Garden, approximately 600 feet east of the Garden (toward Holmes Ave.).

Note: Because of the boulevard center divider, there is no direct automobile access to the Garden for cars traveling from east to west on Murrieta Blvd. And no on-site parking at the Garden itself … see below for parking information.

A View of the Woodland & Grassland Sections

If traveling 580 eastbound to Livermore . . . • Pass Airway Blvd. and exit at Isabel/Portola Ave. • Turn right onto Isabel. • Continue past the big blue water treatment building; get in the left lane. • Turn left onto Jack London Blvd. Follow it to its end at Murrieta Blvd. • Turn right onto Murrieta Blvd. There will be 2 sets of traffic lights before you go under the railroad tracks at Stanley Ave. • Cross Stanley and get in the right lane, go 0.2 mile. • The Granada Native Garden will be on the right, just before an apartment complex at 975 Murrieta Blvd. The Garden is immediately to the right of the apartments. • Limited unauthorized parking is in the apartment complex, along the tall chain-link fence. Other parking is across the street in the Nob Hill/Rite Aid shopping center, but to get there you will need to make a left turn into the shopping center. See the map above for the location of authorized pedestrian crossing, approximately 600 feet east of the Garden.

A View of the Grassland-Chaparral Sections

If traveling 580 westbound to Livermore . . . • Exit 580 at N. Livermore Avenue. Turn left onto Livermore Avenue. • Continue to Portola Avenue. Turn right onto Portola Ave. • Continue to Murrieta Blvd. Turn left onto Murrieta Blvd. There will be 2 sets of traffic lights before you go under the railroad tracks just before Stanley Ave. • Cross Stanley and get in the right lane, go 0.2 mile. • The Granada Native Garden will be on the right, just before an apartment complex at 975 Murrieta Blvd. The Garden is immediately to the right of the apartments. • Limited unauthorized parking is in the apartment complex, along the tall chain-link fence. Other parking is across the street in the Nob Hill/Rite Aid shopping center, but to get there you will need to make a left turn into the shopping center. See the map above for the location of authorized pedestrian crossing, approximately 600 feet east of the Garden.

If traveling on Stanley Avenue from Pleasanton . . . • Follow Stanley Ave. into Livermore to the ARCO station at Murrieta Blvd. • Turn right onto Murrieta, stay in the right lane and go 0.2 mile. • The Granada Native Garden will be on the right, just before an apartment complex at 975 Murrieta Blvd. The Garden is immediately to the right of the apartments. • Limited unauthorized parking is in the apartment complex, along the tall chain-link fence. Other parking is across the street in the Nob Hill/Rite Aid shopping center, but to get there you will need to make a left turn into the shopping center. See the map above for the location of authorized pedestrian crossing, approximately 600 feet east of the Garden.

If traveling from San Jose/Santa Clara . . .• Take 680 north toward Pleasanton. • Take Exit 25 (Sunol Blvd.). • Continue on Sunol Blvd. thru Pleasanton; Sunol Blvd. becomes Stanley Ave. in Pleasanton; continue on Stanley Ave. toward Livermore. • Follow Stanley Ave. into Livermore to the ARCO station at Murrieta Blvd. • Turn right onto Murrieta, stay in the right lane and go 0.2 mile. • The Granada Native Garden will be on the right, just before an apartment complex at 975 Murrieta Blvd. The Garden is immediately to the right of the apartments. • Limited unauthorized parking is in the apartment complex, along the tall chain-link fence. Other parking is across the street in the Nob Hill/Rite Aid shopping center, but to get there you will need to make a left turn into the shopping center. See the map above for the location of authorized pedestrian crossing, approximately 600 feet east of the Garden.

NOTE: Because of the boulevard center divider, there is no direct automobile access to the Garden for cars traveling from east to west on Murrieta Blvd.

Check out the Granada Native Garden Newsletter by googling “Granada Native Garden Newsletter”. New articles about California native plants appear monthly, bimonthly, or irregularly. You can be informed by email whenever a new article appears by clicking the FOLLOW button at the lower right corner of your screen. You can also contact the Garden personnel by emailing the staff at JIMatGNG@gmail.com .

Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea) is naturally at home on coastal desert hillsides and, with its deep taproot, has been described as being so drought-tolerant as to actually resent watering once it is established. But it also excels in its overall versatility. It produces interesting spider-like yellow flowers that bloom most of the year (but especially in the winter and spring). It can be used as an informal hedge or screen. It is considered a fire-retardant plant. It can be used for irrigation control, soil retention and hillside stabilization on dry slopes and banks. It is a source of pollen for bees, of cover and shade for quail, finches, sparrows and doves, of seeds for ground foragers and nectar for hummingbirds and native bees. Harlequin beetles (at the left) are especially attracted to the bladderpod and may live their entire lives on the leaves or pods. But perhaps its most inter- esting characteristic is the “aroma” produced by its leaves. Just gently surround a cluster of bladderpod leaves with your hand and, keeping an open mind, explore the aroma left behind on your hand. In the interest of full disclosure, the aroma has been unfairly des- cribed as pungent, strange, disagreeable, like burnt popcorn, like bell peppers, pretty stinky, ill-scented, evil smelling, foul smelling, even repulsive. Unfairly, I maintain, because while I agree that the odor of the bladderpod is unlike anything else you might encounter in an otherwise lovely green plant, in my opinion it is none of these things! Instead, I would actually describe it as appetizing, and even savory. I’ll explain later on in this article, after I have whetted your appetite!

Why It Is Called “Bladderpod” The flowers of the bladderpod (formerly also called Isomeris arborea and Cleome isomeris, and still often found in the literature under those names) develop into soft, fat bladder-like pods about an inch or so long. Both the blossoms and the pods remain on the plant at the same time. The pods are filled with a few large, round seeds which look remarkably like peas in a pod, and in fact are edible and can be eaten very much like garden peas (except that they are somewhat bitter, and may need to be cooked for a while to remove the bitterness and become sweet).

Why Plants Have Aromas Many plants have their own aromas that humans can detect (the sages are good examples), and most probably have aromas that only insects can smell. That fact tells you something right away about why plants have aromas. One reason is to attract pollinators – insects, bats and hummingbirds – to transfer pollen and create fertile seeds. The scent of the flower alerts pollinators that the plant is ready to be pollinated; in fact, the attractive aromas in plants are strongest when this time arrives. Plants and pollinators often have a long history of mutual evolution over the millennia. On the other hand, plants also have certain aromas to repel animals that might otherwise eat them. The smells come from chemicals that are often toxic to animals and are likely to taste bad to the animal or make it sick (milkweed, for example). Less obvious to us are plants that release their scents when insects are eating them. The scents travel thru the air and alert other insects that are interested in eating the bugs that are eating the plants (like freshly cut grass and clover). Finally, some of the chemicals in plants have antimicrobial properties. They serve to kill bacteria and fungi that threaten a plant that has been injured by something trying to eat it, or by traffic or some other source of injury. Native Americans recognized the antimicrobial potential of certain plants and utilized them to treat wounds and heal infections.

Bladderpod at the Granada Native Garden

The Truth About Bladderpod Revealed! A recent visitor to the GNG was invited to experience the aroma of the bladderpod leaves and describe his impression. A curious look came over his face, and he said, “Bell peppers and onions!” As a matter of fact, that is exactly my impression as well as of a number of my colleagues – fresh bell peppers and onions sautéed in a little olive oil! Scrumptious! Another imaginative reader, Aquila, reports that the smell reminds her of new automobile tires! Regardless of one’s ambivalence toward the scent of bladderpod, Native Ameri- cans relished the seeds and flowers for food. In fact, Native Americans aren’t the only ones. In her book California Foraging, Judith Larner Lowry describes the unripe fruits (the bladders) as “sought-after delicacies”. The immature peas inside are fresh and juicy, and can be harvested like garden peas. They can be used as capers. The flowers are edible too, but they reportedly need to be cooked for four hours to remove bitterness and reveal their sweetness. Then “they can then be mixed with cooked onions and salt and eaten on a tortilla”. In her blog, Deborah Small describes making a bladderpod taco in a similar way by sautéeing some onion, stirring in some flour, then adding the cooked and drained flowers with a dash of salt on “a fresh handmade tortilla”.

More About the Diet of Native Americans Lewis and Clark were saved from starvation by some of the Native Americans they encountered. Having no super-markets from which to purchase food, the indigenous people managed quite well using the native plants growing among them. The following excerpt from http://factcards.califa.org/cai/diegueno.html gives us some insight into the food resources of our “almost ancestors”, as Theodora Kroeber referred to them in her book of the same title: “For most of the Diegueño, acorns were the main food. Some of the southern Tipai groups depended more on pods from the mesquite bush, which they pounded into flour in much the same way that the others pounded acorns into flour. Seeds of the sage, flax, and buckwheat plants were also ground into flour, and used to make mush and flat cakes. “In the spring, the women and girls gathered fresh greens such as watercress, clover, yucca stalks and roots, and the blossoms and buds of roses and several kinds of cactus. In some areas they found berries on manzanita and elderberry bushes, wild plums and cherries. Wild onion was used as a seasoning. The agave plant, which provided fibers from which sandals were made, was also used as food. “The Tipai who lived in the Imperial Valley were one of the few early California groups to plant some crops. They learned from people living to the east of them how to grow corn, beans, and melons. Even those who did some farming, however, still got most of their food by gathering wild plants.”

Guided Tours of the Granada Native Garden Are Available! Are you interested in seeing some of the plants that are described in this Newsletter or in past issues? One or more staff of the GNG are routinely on duty at the Garden on Mondays and Thursdays, roughly between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. But it isn’t very hard to arrange a guided visit at other times. If you are interested in scheduling a visit, just email Jim at JIMatGNG@gmail.com . Or if you have any questions or inquiries, please email Jim at the same address!

Many thanks to … • Alrie Middlebrook of Middlebrook Gardens for allowing us to use the photo of the harlequin beetles. • Judith Larner Lowry of the Larner Seed Company for her suggestions for the culinary delights of the bladderpod. • Dennis Dowling of the Ulistac Nature Area for allowing us to collect the seeds that have become the bladderpods at the Granada Native Garden. • Rob DeBree of the Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery for donating six Epilobium canum plants, which are now installed near the tables at the GNG.

“I understand that people with allergies to bees are wise to avoid them, but it drives me a bit crazy when someone spots a bee and starts screaming. Worse yet, people who teach their children the same way. Yes, bees will sting, but they always have a good reason, and it’s usually because we’ve done something to harm or threaten them. They don’t fly around looking for someone to terrorize. They only want to find a flower, gather some nectar, spread some pollen and go back to their hive.” – Joan Morris, Tri-Valley Times, October 27, 2015

Ali and her mother were visiting us at home one afternoon. Being a curious 10-year old in the boring com- pany of adults, Ali wandered out into our backyard to explore a somewhat over- grown row of pineapple guava bushes along the rear of our yard. “Ali, get out of there! There are buggies in there!!” her mom anxiously warned from her safe place at our kitchen table. I wasn’t aware of anything life-threatening lurking in those bushes, nor of anything that could sting, pinch, bite, eat or otherwise threaten poor Ali. I thought only of the many hours I had spent as a child exploring remote, over- grown parts of my own neighborhood, or wandering alone in the forest at my uncle’s farm in northwestern Pennsyl-vania, nurturing my current interest in nature and wildlife, and I felt sorry for Ali who was having her curiosity terminated by someone else’s well-intentioned but misplaced fear of “buggies”.

Good Bugs & Bad Bugs In the world of nature, an insect is neither good nor bad. Each one has its essential role in maintaining a balanced, healthy ecosystem. But this article isn’t about which bugs are good or bad — that depends on how they relate to our life styles, comfort, childhood conditioning and emotional behavior (many people living in California are deathly afraid of the brown recluse spider which, however, hasn’t established itself any closer to California than Texas). Nor is it about the importance of insects as pollinators of our food crops, nor about the enormous nutritional value of insects (think … grasshopper scampi, maybe? Yum!) It is about how insects are related to the native plants that we are trying to promote in our environment, and to ecosystems in general. For an excellent treatment of this topic, I encourage you to consult Douglas W. Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. In common parlance, any creature that flies or crawls around on more than two legs is a bug. But from now on, we shall use the word “insects” instead of “bugs”, in order to satisfy us purists for whom a true “bug” is a member of the zoological order Hemiptera, which is an order of insects that have mouthparts adapted to piercing and sucking, two pairs of wings, and a specific form of development from larva to adult. This means that, technically speaking, flies, beetles and spiders are not true bugs, but they are insects (members of the broader cate- gory, the phylum Arthropoda). But they are certainly what Ali’s mom had in mind when she warned Ali about those “buggies”!

Insects – The Energy Link between Plants andUs Plants are the only organisms capable of capturing the sun’s energy and turning it, thru photosynthesis, into food for the rest of us. Animals that don’t derive their energy by eating plants directly obtain it from eating other animals that eat the plants. At the beginning of this energy chain are insects that eat plants. According to Tallamy, 37 percent of all animals are insect herbivores. And 96 percent of the terrestrial birds in North America rely on insects and other arthropods for their food. That’s almost all of them! The ecologist E. O. Wilson has called insects “the little things that run the world”.

Insects and Native Plants California native plants are those which evolved in the California environment before plants from other parts of the world were introduced and began to compete with the natives, and in many cases, out-compete them. Recently, a friend of the Granada Native Garden toured her neighborhood and reported that 100 percent of her neighbors had non-native plants growing in her their yards, and 100 percent of the plants were non- natives! (Maybe this is somewhat of an exaggeration, but it’s not far off!) And this includes most of the common weeds that give us trouble in our lawns and gardens, introduced from other countries, accidentally or by well-meaning folks. Over the millennia, the insects co-evolved along with the native plants. This means that insects which evolved to eat certain kinds of plants are often unable to eat plants that are unfamiliar to them. This is because they are not biologically programmed to recognize the size, shape, nutrient requirements and leaf chemistry of the non-native, alien plants. As the non-natives out-compete the natives, the usable insect food resources diminish. And as the food they are able to use diminishes, so do the insects themselves and other forms of animal life, including the birds, that depend on insects. Everything in this world is connected with something else!

Native Plants vs. Non-Natives The horticultural industry has had many years to develop plants that flourish in the California climate, but have evolved in other parts of the world. This means that, in California, these plants are no longer threatened by the insects that evolved to rely on them for food, as well as by insects and naturally-occurring pathogens that controlled their rampant growth in their original environment. As a result, they grow rampantly in California! Evolutionary adaptation takes time! From the standpoint of everyone who is trying to grow an insect-free garden, this is great news! In addition, there is an vigorous, door-to- door industry dedicated to exterminating any insect “pests” (that is, “buggies”) around our homes, regardless of whether they are beneficial or not.

The Importance of Biodiversity

Wasp pupae on a tomato hornworm

Biodiversity is the number and variety of plants, animals and other organisms that exist in any particular area. It is essential for the survival of the human species by providing food, fuel, shelter, medicines and other resources. Biodiversity is the result of 3,500,000,000 years of evolution. Humans have the ability to change all that in our lifetime! Biodiversity has suffered due to human activity ever since humans first appeared. But most scientists acknowledge that the rate of species loss is at an all-time high. Some speculate that a quarter of all mammal species could be extinct in the next few decades, and that the present rate of extinction, due to human activity, is capable of eliminating most species on Earth within the next century.

Wasp laying her eggs on an aphid

Traditionally, the common practice is to bulldoze native plants and replace them with a narrow diversity of alien plants that people have become more familiar with. According to Tallamy, not enough natural habitat is left in our country to support the biodiversity that used to exist. As more non-natives are planted and replace the natives, either by competition or by outright removal by humans, the insects that evolved to depend on them are fewer, and the insectivores (mainly birds) become locally extinct and no longer contribute to the function of the ecosystems.

“Researchers have concluded that 10th of all the world’s wilderness has been lost in just 20 years.” Chelsea Harvey in the Washington Post, September 9, 2016

Insects at the Granada Native Garden Most photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. But don’t let them frighten you.

A bumblebee taking nectar from a tidytips wildflower. Bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators, but their numbers are in decline because of habitat loss and pesticides.

Great golden digger wasp on a Santa Cruz Island buckwheat. Big and fearsome, but not dangerous, unless you are a grasshopper or cricket. Not aggressive but curious about persons and pets lingering near their burrows. Stings are quite rare.

Hoverfly on a tansy-leafed phacelia. Aphid-eating hoverflies are being recognized as important natural enemies of pests, and potential agents for use in biological control.

A friendly carpenter bee! Carpenter bees nest in holes or crevasses in wood, and are important pollinators, especially of flowers that other bees and insects may have trouble getting into because of the flower’s shape or structure.

The long black and orange insect on the milkweed is a ladybug larva, hunting for its breakfast of yellow milkweed aphids. Both the adult ladybugs and their larvae are voracious consumers of the aphids that ravage many of our desirable plants.

Be Quiet and Eat Your Insects! If the knowledge of the nutritional value of insects has turned you on to adding insects to your dinner table, you might want to connect with Tiny Farms, a project operating out of San Leandro. Or try the crispy crickets and toasted moth larvae available at the Oakland restaurant Agave Uptown!

Quote du Jour “Plants are as close to biological miracles as a scientist could dare admit. After all, they allow us and nearly every other species to eat sunlight, by creating the nourishment that drives food webs on this planet. As if that weren’t enough, plants also produce oxygen, build topsoil and hold it in place, prevent floods, sequester carbon dioxide, buffer extreme weather, and clean our water.” Douglas Tallamy, in the New York Times, March 11, 2015

Guided Tours of the Granada Native Garden Are Available! Are you interested in seeing some of the plants that are described in this Newsletter or in past issues? One or more staff of the GNG are routinely on duty at the Garden on Mondays and Thursdays, roughly between 10:00 AM and 12:00 noon. But it isn’t very hard to arrange a guided visit at other times. If you are interested in scheduling a visit, just email Jim at JIMatGNG@gmail.com . Or if you have any questions or inquiries, please email Jim at the same address!